


one vanilla latte, please

by vaahtokarkki



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-13
Updated: 2017-12-13
Packaged: 2019-02-14 11:13:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,129
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13006581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vaahtokarkki/pseuds/vaahtokarkki
Summary: In which Chiaki has a problem, Kaoru gives him a hand, and it's definitely not a date, even if Chiaki pays and Kaoru keeps having all kinds of funny feelings inside his stomach.Definitelynot.





	one vanilla latte, please

**Author's Note:**

> at first I was just supposed to write a really short cute cafe date fic to fill the void that is the chiakao tag, but before I knew it, I had 6000 words and a lot more feelings than first intended
> 
> enjoy!!

Chiaki comes to him after school, and really, his request is so simple that Kaoru has little reason to decline.

Kaoru _is_ objectively the best one at choosing cafes – he’s lost count of how many places he’s visited with girls, but he’s got a fairly good memory when it comes to what each of them are like.

And that’s how he finds himself leaving school together with Chiaki to show him around and hopefully find a cafe he agrees RYUSEITAI would like. It’s acceptable to Kaoru – he doesn’t like getting close to guys, but he should be fine as long as Chiaki doesn’t want to have a heart-to-heart or anything.

Chiaki, as usual, is full if vigor and enthusiasm. He seems to really care for his unit and Kaoru briefly wonders what it would be like to work with someone like him, but knows he wouldn’t last. Chiaki draws people’s potentials out of them like a charm, and Kaoru does his best to avoid giving his all. Really, they wouldn’t match.

Kaoru stops in front of a charming cafe he’s been in more times than he remembers.

”Girls love this place”, he remarks absentmindedly, peeking inside it.

”What about boys?” Chiaki asks, and Kaoru chokes for a second until he whips his head around and sees that Chiaki isn’t even looking at him.

”You know I don’t… bring boys”, Kaoru mutters. He feels his ears burning and is grateful that Chiaki’s undivided attention is on the cafe.

”Then do _you_ like it? I have to know – RYUSEITAI is all boys, you know?”

Kaoru is caught off-guard when Chiaki finally looks at him with a focused gaze.

”Oh. Right”, Kaoru swallows.

Of course that’s why he asked. Of course -

”I don’t usually think about that”, Kaoru looks back at the cafe, at anywhere but Chiaki. He feels odd, somehow – light-headed. ”I just go where I know the girls will enjoy themselves.”

”Well, that won’t do!” Chiaki steps in front of Kaoru and grabs his both hands, forcing Kaoru to look straight into his burning eyes.

”Uh -” Kaoru starts, too surprised to even yank his hands away, but Chiaki isn’t finished.

”Hakaze, you _have_ to take me to a place _you_ like, okay? It’s very important!”

Kaoru stands still, wide-eyed, suddenly trapped in the vortex of energy that is Chiaki Morisawa, and tries very hard to arrange his thoughts into any coherent order. Chiaki patiently waits for an answer, his eyes never leaving Kaoru’s, and when he grips Kaoru’s hands just a bit tighter, Kaoru wonders if Chiaki’s warmth can leave burn marks on his skin.

”Yes”, Kaoru croaks with a dry throat, only half-remembering what he’s answering to.

”Right? Then lead the way”, Chiaki lets go of one of Kaoru’s hands, but slides his other one up to entwine their arms instead. He drags Kaoru a few steps down the street, until he seems to remember he doesn’t actually know which way to go, and turns back to Kaoru with a sheepish smile.

”This way”, Kaoru nudges him, and tries to discreetly slip his hand away. But when he slides it down, Chiaki misunderstands, and grabs Kaoru’s hand again as a blush creeps up his face.

”O-oh? It’s a little embarrassing to hold hands with someone in public, but I’ll do my best! This way I won’t get lost even if there are a lot of people, right?”

Kaoru groans and turns away.

”Nevermind”, he mutters, gripping back at Chiaki’s hand to drag him off the street as fast as possible. For a guy who has no problem going around hugging people, Chiaki sure chooses some strange times to get flustered.

 

The place they’re going to is a bit further away, but Chiaki doesn’t complain. Kaoru leads him towards the beach, until he finally spots what he’s looking for.

It’s a small seaside cafe with a view over the ocean. Kaoru isn’t sure what he likes most about it; the secluded location, its proximity to the sea, or the tranquility it fills him with.

”Whoa, this looks really nice, Hakaze!” Chiaki’s voice shakes Kaoru out of his thoughts, and he rubs at the back of his neck.

”Yeah, I guess”, he mumbles. He finally pulls his hand away, but Chiaki is still focused on the cafe and doesn’t even seem to notice.

”Well, let’s go in!” Chiaki takes a step towards the place. ”I have to know if it suits us.”

Kaoru hadn’t planned to bring Chiaki inside the cafe. He thought he’d just show the place and they’d leave. And he definitely doesn’t understand why something moves painfully in his chest at the reminder that Chiaki isn’t here to spend time with Kaoru but to find a place for RYUSEITAI.  
It shouldn’t hurt. It’s not like Kaoru is in love with him or anything – he doesn’t even like guys.

But when Chiaki turns around, enthusiasm written all over his face, Kaoru can’t bring himself to run.

”Yeah, let’s”, he agrees like he wanted to do this.

 

The barista recognises him. She’s a nice girl with pretty, honey-coloured eyes, but Kaoru has made a pact with himself to not flirt with customer service, so he always tries his best to behave here. Besides, he comes to this place to relax, so he’d prefer not making enemies.

”Regular-sized vanilla latte?” she asks Kaoru while eyeing Chiaki curiously.

”Yes, please”, Kaoru replies, glancing at Chiaki who’s completely engrossed in the menu.

”It’s perfect, Hakaze!” Chiaki laughs. ”There’s a seaside view, and they serve fish, too… Kanata and the kids will love this!”

”They will”, Kaoru agrees, dropping his eyes at the floor.

”So, what can I get you?” the barista asks, eyes darting to Kaoru before they settle on Chiaki.

”Oh, hmm… I’ll have an ice tea, please”, Chiaki finally decides. ”And one piece of that chocolate pie!”

Kaoru is reaching for his wallet to pay for his own order, when Chiaki stops him.

”My treat today, okay? Since you’re the one who brought me here.”

”I -” Kaoru begins, praying that the way his face heats up isn’t visible. ”That’s -”

 _Almost like a date,_ he doesn’t finish the sentence, because how could it be a date? They’re classmates and Chiaki is grateful so it’s only natural he’d treat Kaoru and just because Kaoru always offers to pay when he takes girls out doesn’t mean this situation is comparable -

”Fine”, Kaoru mutters, and Chiaki turs back to the barista, whose pretty eyes flicker with amusement when she flashes Kaoru a short smile.

”I’ll find us seats”, Kaoru offers, mostly to get out of the situation, since _finding_ isn’t a difficult task when the cafe only has a few other customers and Kaoru’s favourite table is free. He seats himself and is staring out the window when Chiaki joins him less than a minute later.

From the corner of his eye, Kaoru can see Chiaki fidgeting in his seat, but he doesn’t say anything, and Kaoru doesn’t turn to look at him.

He’s being moodier than usual and he knows it – but for some reason, can’t bring himself to keep up his usual refreshing image. Trying and failing would only irritate him further.

Kaoru steals a glance at Chiaki, who’s also turned to look out the window. Kaoru sighs – now he’s made Chiaki feel bad, too, even though the boy just wanted to find a place they could enjoy.

Kaoru opens his mouth, maybe to apologise, maybe to say _anything_ to break the awful silence, but before he can even call out Chiaki’s name, the barista is at their table.

”Here you go – one vanilla latte, one ice tea, and one piece of chocolate pie.”

”Thank you”, Kaoru can’t wait to have the cup in his hands, to have something to _do_ , but as he takes it, the barista winks at him.

”Enjoy your date”, she says as she sets the pie on the table.

Kaoru can’t quite suppress his instant reactions, not the widening of his eyes or the heat flaring up on his face. He wants to deny, but knows that unless he looks calm, the words wouldn’t be convincing at all, so he just coughs and looks down.

”Oh, we’re not actually -” Chiaki laughs, as brightly as ever. ”I mean, that is, he doesn’t really – so it’s, um. Not a date.” His voice gets quieter towards the end of the sentence, and when Kaoru looks up, the light plays tricks on him because it almost looks like Chiaki is blushing.

”Right. Sorry”, the barista laughs. ”Well, still – enjoy.”

Chiaki thanks her again, and she leaves them to themselves.

Kaoru looks out the window again, this time with a cup of coffee in his hands.

”The view from these seats is nice”, Chiaki notes.

”I always take this table if it’s free.”

”Do girls like it?”

”Huh? Oh”, Kaoru turns his head and briefly glances into Chiaki’s eyes before setting his gaze firmly on the table. ”I guess they might. I don’t really – I haven’t brought anyone here before.”

Why’d he take Chiaki here anyway? Was he blinded by how eager Chiaki was and how much he wanted to find a place _Kaoru_ liked, which was the complete opposite of how Kaoru usually chose where to go? Or was he hoping for something else entirely?

When Chiaki doesn’t reply immediately, Kaoru looks up at him. Chiaki’s eyes are wide, and this time, his cheeks are definitely a darker colour. It’s just like him to get embarrassed over something like this, and Kaoru speaks to dissolve the situation before he gets flustered, too.

”Don’t look at me like that, Moricchi”, Kaoru scolds him. ”We’re friends, aren’t we?”

Chiaki blinks, and Kaoru realises the impact of his words just a little too late. He’s more than certain Chiaki considers them friends, but Kaoru has always been stingy when it comes to words like _friendship_ or _affection_ in relation to other guys, so hearing a declaration like this from his mouth must sound weird.

”Yeah, of course we are”, Chiaki laughs, and Kaoru relaxes his shoulders. ”Sorry for spacing out.”

Kaoru sips his coffee so he can look away. He keeps feeling odd for some reason, probably because they don’t usually hang out like this. The setting is too intimate, just the two of them in a small, peaceful cafe, which _definitely_ makes it look like a date, even though it isn’t. Chiaki said it himself, didn’t he – or at least tried to.

_My friend here is straight, so we’re not on a date._

While Chiaki tastes his ice tea, Kaoru wonders if Chiaki likes boys. If he does, he’s sure to be comfortable about it, considering how easily and casually he goes around touching people. The exact opposite of Kaoru -

Kaoru quickly sips from his cup. All of a sudden he feels hot, but it must be the coffee, right? He likes the coffee this place makes. Elsewhere, he rarely takes a vanilla latte, but here it’s all he ever drinks.

Kaoru drinks again to drown the impending feeling that he’s just trying to distract himself from something else by thinking about the coffee. Meanwhile, Chiaki has put down his glass and set his eyes on the pie.

”Huh? She gave me two spoons”, Chiaki blinks, and Kaoru groans internally. Chiaki seems confused, but Kaoru has been on enough dates to know this one.

”It’s probably for me”, Kaoru’s voice is small in his own ears. Chiaki looks up at him and his mouth splits into a nervous smile.

”Want to try it?”

Kaoru has tasted this particular pie before and he knows he likes it, but really, he should decline.

”Sure”, he says instead. It’s no big deal, right? Friends share their food all the time, or at least Kaoru thinks they do – he’s not really sure what normal friends do, as he doesn’t really… have friends. Or rather, he doesn’t let guys close.

They pick up the spoons and fill them from the opposing ends of the pie. Chiaki’s eyes light up as soon as the spoon is in his mouth.

”Oh, it’s good!” he announces before his mouth is even empty. ”I’m glad you’re here to share it with me.”

”Oi, don’t say it like that”, the words come out on reflex, but they’re lacking their usual edge, and if Kaoru’s honest with himself… somewhere deep down, Chiaki’s words make him feel almost _warm_.

”Sorry, sorry”, Chiaki laughs, setting down the spoon and picking up his glass. ”We don’t hang out a lot outside school, you know? So I’m glad you took me here.”

Kaoru thinks back to all those times Chiaki has invited him over, to do homework together, watch superhero shows, check out his collection of action figures – and lets himself entertain the thought that Chiaki _wants_ to spend time with him. It’s only logical, and yet, Kaoru has as hard a time convincing himself as ever.

He thinks of all the times he refused, which was all of them, telling Chiaki he had a date, which was true most of the times but not each of them.

”Yeah, well...” Kaoru mutters. ”You wanted a place I like, right? This is the only one I could think of. I’m sure RYUSEITAI will like it too.”

Chiaki blinks a few times, like he was confused, but he’s quick to collect himself.

”Oh! Of course they will.”

They fall into silence again. Kaoru still isn’t in the mood to make small talk, and Chiaki is quieter than usually, too. Kaoru doesn’t ask why. He doesn’t need to know why. He’s having a hard enough time at keeping himself together, and the last thing he wants is to let Chiaki see something’s wrong with him.

But there’s only so much he can do when the awkwardness between them is mutual, and finally, Chiaki speaks again.

”How are things at home?”

The question startles Kaoru, and he takes a sip of coffee to calm himself before he speaks.

”Fine. Why?”

”I don’t want to pry, but Kanata mentioned you were unwell the other day, and you seem kinda down today, too...”

Right. He let himself slip that time, didn’t he? In front of Anzu, too… Of course Kanata would tell Chiaki. They’re both his friends.

”Huh? Don’t worry, don’t worry!” Kaoru slips into a smile as easily as he lies. It’s always easier to fake a smile when his words are false, too.

”That’s good to hear! You can talk to me anytime, okay, Hakaze?”

Chiaki is so earnest in his words that suddenly Kaoru feels like he’s suffocating. The differences between them are so glaringly obvious that Kaoru wonders how such a good person like Chiaki can stand spending time with someone like him.

 _It’s because he’s a good person,_ Kaoru reminds himself.

”I know, I know~” he promises with a smile he knows doesn’t reach his eyes.

Chiaki seems to relax, but Kaoru can’t dissolve the tension in his body. He can feel his hands shaking a little, and his heartbeat is louder and faster than it should be. Even his palms are sweating. Is it the coffee? Usually it doesn’t affect him much, but maybe it’s stronger today or something -

”Hakaze, here”, Chiaki calls out, and Kaoru blinks and focuses his eyes back on him.

”Huh?” he asks, and Chiaki slides his phone on the table.

”I know what will cheer you up! Look here, pictures of a neighbourhood’s cat I met yesterday!”

Kaoru leans forward to look at the phone. It’s on Chiaki’s side of the table, so he leans in further than he intended to, and -

Kaoru isn’t entirely sure how it happens. He looks back up to tell Chiaki the cat is cute, and Chiaki looks up the same time, and Kaoru realises he leaned too far over the table when their foreheads bump together, which causes the track of their heads to change, which leads to -

Kaoru snaps his head back the second his lips touch something. Chiaki slaps both hands over his mouth and then freezes completely still. Kaoru looks at Chiaki’s hands and his reddening face and his wide, shocked eyes, and then everything kind of clicks together.

_Oh, god._

_Can this stuff really happen outside of movies?_

Kaoru feels dizzy, and his stomach makes jolt after jolt while he can’t tear his blurrying gaze from Chiaki. Chiaki hasn’t moved an inch, like he was still processing what exactly happened. And when he finally removes his hands from his face, Kaoru looks down at his lips, remembers where they were just seconds ago, and feels his whole back flare into a blush.

”Sorry -” Chiaki’s voice is shaking, but Kaoru can’t stay to worry about that.

”I should go”, his own voice sound distant in his ears as he stumbles up from his chair and grabs his bag. ”I’ll – I’ll see you around.”

He doesn’t hear Chiaki say anything else, and starts running as soon as he’s out of the cafe, keeps running until he’s ran so far that his trembling legs near collapse under him and he _has_ to stop to catch his breath.

His heart is pounding and his whole body shaking, but this time it’s because of the physical strain instead of Chiaki. He looks around and finds that he’s still on the beach – and decides to sit on the sand to give his legs some mercy.

Now that he’s still instead of running, his thoughts go straight back to what just happened, and he falls on his back, silently cursing himself.

”What was _that?”_ he asks out loud. There must be a hundred ways to solve a situation like that better than by running away, but of course his brain decided to stop working and his instincts took him over and told him to _run_.

Kaoru lies still, chest heaving, and slowly begins to understand the reason he’s felt so off today. He’d love to brush off his earlier reaction as the shock of kissing another boy, but the signs were there the whole time, weren’t they? It’s been a while since he’s had a real crush, but -

Kaoru buries his face in his hands at the mere thought.

”No, that’s impossible!” he groans. ”That’s too much… I don’t understand...”

Kaoru lies down for a while longer until he has no idea how long has passed, and then stands up slowly and spends the whole walk home trying to shake off all thoughts of Chiaki.

It works, a little bit.

 

Kaoru doesn’t go to school for the next two days. No one calls after him; his classmates, his unit, his club are all used to him skipping everything, so two days is no big deal to any of them. He doesn’t stay home, but doesn’t arrange dates, either – papers with phone numbers on them burn in his pockets, and he ignores each of them. He’d love a distraction, but every time he takes out his phone, he can’t bring himself to dial up a number – not when every time he tries, he finds himself scrolling through his contacts and hovering his fingers over Chiaki’s name.

So he does everything else he can do to distract himself. Shopping, arcade, aimless walking – he goes to the beach at a time when it’s deserted, but it’s too quiet to stop him from thinking, and when he does think, it’s about the cafe he took Chiaki to and then it’s about the accidental kiss they shared and _then_ it’s about everything to do with Chiaki, which leads to sweaty hands and an elevated heartrate and all kinds of uncomfort he rarely feels when boys are involved.

Rarely, not _never_. He’s always been able to shut those thoughts somewhere deeper in himself where he doesn’t have to face them, but something about yesterday has set off a spark he can no longer control, and he doesn’t know how he can handle it or having to meet Chiaki again.

Kaoru kicks at a stone on the beach and thinks, _it was much easier when I was able to fool myself into thinking I’m straight._

 

On the third day, Kaoru returns to the cafe. He still feels restless, but maybe one of his favourite places will calm him down.

Favourite, huh… He didn’t even realise it until Chiaki brought it up. Now it’s clear as day; out of all the cafes and restaurants he’s ever been to, this one he likes the most. It’s _his,_ a private place he can relax at, where he’s always alone, save for this time he came with Chiaki, and those times when he was younger and his mother took him here -

Right. He’s already neck-deep in sorting out what exactly he feels towards Chiaki, so he _really_ doesn’t need that unsolved sorrow that comes to him whenever he thinks of his mother for too long.

Kaoru drops his coat at his usual seat and walks to the counter.

”Alone today?” the barista asks immediately. ”The usual?”

”Thanks. Of course alone”, Kaoru frowns. ”Last time was an exception.”

”Oh? That’s strange”, she leans against the counter while Kaoru takes out his wallet. ”Considering he’s been here every day since.”

Kaoru’s blood runs cold.

”He has?”

”Around this time, actually”, she glances at the clock on the wall. ”Asked after you both times. Did you blow him off or something? He looked really down after you ran off the other day.”

”Oh… he must have been worried. He’s that kinda guy”, Kaoru laughs, attempting to sound carefree but probably just coming off as nervous. ”We’re, uh, classmates.”

”Sure”, she clearly knows there’s more to the story, but doesn’t pry.

She’s counting his change when the door opens with a jingle of the bell above it. Kaoru wouldn’t care who enters, but the barista looks at the door once, twice, and then glances at Kaoru with a knowing smile.

No way.

Kaoru’s heartbeat picks up in speed as he turns around to see Chiaki at the door. He’s still holding it open, and his chest is heaving like he just ran through the whole beach.

”Come in, come in”, the barista calls, and Chiaki blinks like for a moment he’d forgotten where he is.

”Hakaze”, Chiaki mutters once he reaches the counter.

”Morisawa-kun”, Kaoru greets back, opting for the more formal approach. It’s now that he realises he didn’t even think of what to say once he meets Chiaki again.

He should probably start off with an apology, but he has no idea how to word it without revealing the reason he ran away in the first place. Should he just get it over with or wait for Chiaki to speak first? But Chiaki hasn’t said anything after Kaoru’s name, so maybe -

”Here’s your change”, Kaoru jumps when the barista speaks. ”And what can I get for you?”

”Ah, I’ll -” Chiaki glances at the menu, but doesn’t pick it up. ”I’ll have whatever he took.”

”Right, so a regular-sized vanilla latte.”

”I didn’t know you drink coffee? You’re already kind of… fast”, Kaoru’s mouth goes off without consulting his brain first, but Chiaki doesn’t seem fazed at all.

”Not to worry! Allies of justice can’t be defeated by such a thing as coffee! Ha ha ha…!”

Kaoru could name at least two other members in Chiaki’s unit who shouldn’t be combined with coffee or the results would be disastrous, but he doesn’t bring it up. Chiaki’s attitude at the moment is almost pretentiously cheerful, and Kaoru wonders if he’s feeling nervous.

”I’ll pay”, says Kaoru next, causing Chiaki to look at him in confusion. ”Well, I mean – last time, you – you paid for mine, so...”

Oh god, he’s stuttering. He’s got it even worse than he thought.

”That’s okay Hakaze, last time was repayment for -”

”I insist”, Kaoru huffs, and Chiaki blinks before he breaks into a smile.

”W-well! In that case, I’ll gladly agree.”

Kaoru goes through his wallet for some more cash, and nods towards the table he left his coat at.

”Sit down, I already claimed it.”

”Yes”, Chiaki nods, and swiftly walks to it. Kaoru finds enough money and quickly sets it down.

”Keep the change”, he says, and goes to where Chiaki sits. He takes deep breaths as he seats himself and tries to think of how to apologise.

_Sorry about last time. I was a little surprised, but it wasn’t because I’d think you’re repulsive or anything, it’s the opposite actually -_

_No._

_Sorry I bolted. No hard feelings, right?_

_No…_

_Sorry I ran out on you and oh by the way I haven’t stopped thinking about it ever since and might be in love -_

_No!_

Chiaki looks at him almost nervously, which looks really weird on him but kind of… cute, if Kaoru has to admit it. But that’s not what he should be thinking about, so he takes another deep breath, braces himself, and -

”I’m sorry!”

The one who blurts out the words is Chiaki instead of Kaoru, and Kaoru is so shocked he almost forgets to reply.

”For… for what?” Kaoru blinks.

”For that k-k-kiss”, Chiaki stutters. ”It’s my fault for leaning in too far, and that must have been uncomfortable for you since you don’t like guys – you seemed really upset – and you didn’t even show up at school, so I thought I’d come here to see if by chance you’d come here and I could apologise...”

”Ah, she – she told me about that”, Kaoru mutters. ”Why didn’t you just text me?”

”Oh”, Chiaki’s face turns red as he speaks. ”I didn’t want to disturb you.”

”So instead you came here for three days – but anyway, that’s not why I ran, so you don’t have to worry about it”, Kaoru sighs, running his fingers through his hair.

”Huh? It wasn’t? Was there some other reason you got upset?” Chiaki blinks in confusion, but then his expression turns more stern. ”Hakaze, I told you if there’s something pressing you, just talk to me! I’m sure we can solve this out. Did you recall a bad memory? Is something wrong at home after all?”

”Uh...” Kaoru shrinks under Chiaki’s determined gaze. It’s like he was being interrogated, and he feels compelled to say the truth as it is, but – no way. He has to stay strong, here.

Chiaki leans closer over the table, and suddenly it’s like electricity was coursing through Kaoru’s whole body. Chiaki has really nice eyes, he notes, especially when he’s all worked up like that and they look like they’re sparkling. And he has nice lips, too, he notes as he glances down at them, though they’d be even nicer if they were on Kaoru’s -

”I yield! I yield!” Kaoru shrieks, burying his heating face in his hands. ”It was nice! God, Moricchi, you make a tough opponent.”

Chiaki doesn’t reply at first, and Kaoru carefully peeks from between his fingers to take a look at his face. The earlier determination is gone, and he looks almost… confused?

”It was nice?” he finally asks, and Kaoru slowly drags his hands down his face to see him better. ”Huh? What was?”

_Seriously?!_

”The, uh… the... k-kiss”, Kaoru mumbles with great difficulty. ”There! I said it! I ran because I liked it!”

”I thought you’re straight?” Chiaki’s mouth falls open.

”So did I! Give me a break here”, Kaoru whines, covering his face with his hands again. ”Obviously, I’m not.”

”Oh”, is all Chiaki says, and Kaoru doesn’t dare to look at him anymore. He thinks his heart might burst out of his chest, with how fast it’s beating, and his stomach is doing some really uncomfortable squirming the like of which he’s never experienced before. He wishes Chiaki would just get it over with and reject him, but somehow, the boy who never seems to shut up has forgotten how to speak.

Kaoru resigns to his fate, takes a deep breath, and talks so _someone_ would.

”It’s okay to pretend it never happened”, he sighs. ”I’ll come to school tomorrow, I promise, and I’ll look you in the eyes and act like we never came here and never accidentally kissed and that – that there’s absolutely nothing going on inside me when you look at me and – and...”

Kaoru swallows a lump in his throat and realises with horror that he might start crying. What a perfect end to a disastrous chain of days, huh? He opens his mouth again, taking the risk that his voice is going to audibly shake, but Chiaki speaks first.

”No!” he declares, loud enough for the whole cafe to hear and loud enough that Kaoru startles, raising his head from the safety of his hands.

”No what?” he asks – and yes, his voice _does_ shake. Figures.

”Hakaze, you’re trying to c-confess, aren’t you?” Chiaki’s eyes are wide and he’s swallowing a lot more now.

”No, I’m trying to tell you to forget about it”, Kaoru shakes his head.

”And that’s exactly what I’m saying no to!” Chiaki’s brows crease. ”I can’t just forget it.”

”I _know_ you hate being dishonest and hiding things, but just this once, could you consider...” Kaoru’s voice dies down before he can even finish the sentence.

”I can’t because, I, too -” Chiaki takes a deep breath and continues, ”I as well… that is to say… I thought it was nice, too!”

Kaoru blinks, and blinks again, and only then the words register and his mouth falls open.

”You mean -”

”Yes! I mean it!” the words are accompanied with a few fervent nods and a very aggressive blush.

Kaoru feels himself grow dizzy again. It sounds too good to be true, and yet here Chiaki is, saying these words with so much resolve that they have to be believed.

”What I want to say is, I don’t know if that could even be called a kiss with how short it was, but I’d like to kiss again and do a lot of other things too, like hold hands, eat lunch together at school, maybe c-cuddle...” Chiaki’s face grows even redder as he speaks, and Kaoru carefully lays his hands on the table, eyes glued on him.

He doesn’t know what to say. When sorting his crush on Chiaki, he never even considered he’d get this far. There’s all kinds of things to figure out, like the fact that he’s never been serious with anyone, the question of how his father would react if he found out, and all the internal turmoil that’s related to the whole _liking boys_ thing (he doesn’t even know where to start with this one).

But still, there’s one thing that doesn’t need any more figuring out, and it’s that he wants this to work out with Chiaki. He _really_ wants this to work out, so he says the words Chiaki can’t seem to bring himself to say.

”What you’re saying is, you want us to be boyfriends.”

”So straightforward!” Chiaki gasps with wide eyes. ”I accept!”

”Look who’s talking”, Kaoru groans. ”...Wait, you what? It wasn’t a question -”

”In that case, I’m asking.”

”Uh… I mean… yeah, I want… I want that too”, Kaoru nods.

Chiaki’s mouth splits into a nervous but bright smile as he reaches out and takes Kaoru’s hands in his over the table, and Kaoru can’t help smiling back.

”Ahh, I’m – that makes me really happy, you know”, Chiaki grins. ”...So, what happens now?”

”I thought maybe you can figure it out, since you’re the one who asked me to date you.”

”Ah! Not fair! You have more experience in dating than I do!”

”Well, we could start by crossing things off that list of yours”, Kaoru tilts his head like he was in deep thought. The shock is starting to fade, and he feels like teasing Chiaki a little to see his flustered face again.

”My… list?”

”What was it? Hand-holding”, Kaoru squeezes at Chiaki’s hands, noting how warm they are (how warm all of Chiaki is from his skin to his heart), ”having lunch together… hmm… what was the first one, again…?”

Chiaki seems to remember, based on how mortified he looks.

”H-here? With people watching?”

”Are they watching?” Kaoru asks in a whisper. Maybe it’s the newfound happiness inside him that’s making him a little braver about this than he thought he’d be.

”Actually, no”, Chiaki glances around the cafe and then looks back at Kaoru. ”You’re sure?”

”I kind of _did_ expect myself to run away by now”, Kaoru frowns. ”Since I haven’t, I guess that means I _am_ sure? About everything.”

”So...”

”So, come here”, Kaoru leans closer over the table. He’s trying to play it cool, but he’s painfully aware that his heart is hammering in his chest again, and has to concentrate to not reveal anything through his face.

Chiaki leans in to meet him, looking every bit as nervous as Kaoru feels, his lips tightly pursed together. His hands are sweating, too, or maybe it’s Kaoru’s own – he can’t tell.

”Try to relax”, Kaoru murmurs, half to Chiaki, half to himself. Chiaki nods, eyes darting between Kaoru’s eyes and lips, and Kaoru wanted to savour the moment longer but Chiaki looks so terribly cute that he can’t waste any more time.

It’s just as awkward as it should be, with Chiaki not having much experience and Kaoru somehow managing to forget everything he knows about kissing, but after clumsily bumping their noses together and both tilting their heads the wrong way, they finally manage to find an angle that works. Kaoru sighs and closes his eyes, one of his hands raising on instinct to lay on Chiaki’s shoulder. Chiaki seems to relax a little as well, the tenseness in his shoulders easing up.

They part to get some air – Kaoru learned the trick to kissing and breathing simultaneously a long time ago, but he’s having trouble recalling it, and Chiaki draws in air in a way that suggests he’s definitely in need of practise.

Perhaps Kaoru will teach him the technique later.

They lay their foreheads together and Kaoru decides he likes this look on Chiaki, red cheeks and shining eyes and a smile that’s maybe not as wide as the ones he flashes in daily life but every bit as precious.

Kaoru gives him a moment longer, but he _really_ wants to kiss Chiaki again, so he moves his hand against the side of Chiaki’s warm neck from his shoulder and tilts his head -

”Two vanilla lattes! If you’re not too… busy.”

Kaoru jumps, parts from Chiaki, and turns his wide eyes towards the barista whose smile is a little bit embarrassed.

”What?” he asks.

”Your orders”, she lays two cups on the table. ”You seemed really focused there, so I didn’t know what would be the right time to interrupt. I’m glad things, ah, worked out between you two.”

”Thank you”, Kaoru coughs. He takes the cup and immediately drinks from it, proceeding to almost burn his tongue in the process.

”It’s hot”, she warns, and Kaoru nods, eyes stinging. ”Enjoy your – wait, can I call this one a date?”

”Yes!” Chiaki beams. ”Please do.”

”In that case, please enjoy your date”, she doesn’t wink this time, ”and do come back again.”

”Thank you”, Chiaki takes his own cup, and the barista turns and leaves. ”Now it _definitely_ feels like people are watching”, he lowers his volume.

”Want to finish these up fast and go to the beach to continue kissing?” It’s half a joke, but Chiaki takes a moment to consider it.

”There’s people out on the beach too.”

”Oh”, Kaoru mutters. ”You’re right. The _whole_ beach?”

”It’s a nice day out there.”

”I’m sure we could find _some_ place...” Kaoru rests his chin against one hand, half-lidded eyes stuck on Chiaki’s mouth.

”O-oh”, Chiaki blows in his coffee and takes a sip, ”I’m glad you wish to kiss me again, but… that is… my heart is surprisingly weak and just before, I thought it might jump out of my chest...”

”Then I guess I’ll have to spend the whole tomorrow daydreaming about it in class instead”, Kaoru sighs, and Chiaki’s mouth falls open.

”W-well! Maybe we can have lunch together tomorrow? To cross another one off that list, you know? Maybe, hmm, my heart will have calmed down by then.”

”I like the sound of that”, Kaoru smiles, reaching out to take Chiaki’s hand in his. ”Not that we have to follow a list or anything, but… I really do.”

”Me too”, Chiaki laughs, and for a while, all of Kaoru’s previous worries slip from his mind, leaving him with only the warmth and comfort that familiar sound fills him with.

 _As expected from a hero,_ Kaoru thinks, hiding his smile behind his coffee cup.

**Author's Note:**

> the work title for this was actually "kaoru has a bi crisis and skips school for three days to sort out the gay feelings he has for chiaki" but that was a bit too long
> 
> chiakao is............ good


End file.
